Easter is coming, in Italy as in the rest of the world. An Italian proverb says that, in Christmas time, you have to stay close with your most loved ones, but when Easter comes, you can be with everyone you like. Anyway, Easter is a great opportunity to celebrate a great time. Maybe travelling or resting at home, maybe eating something tasty belonging to one of the numerous cultural traditions around the world. Chocolate eggs, funny bunnies or something else.
In Italy, for example, chocolate eggs, a sugar cake called “colomba”– which represents the namesake bird (dove)- and baked or grilled lamb are protagonists on the Easter lunch table.
But in how many curious ways is Easter celebrated in the rest of Europe?
In France, Easter is celebrated cooking a giant omelette. In the town square of Haux, on Easter Monday French people use over 5000 eggs to make a very enormous omelette, a very popular food in this country. This tradition started 30 years ago. The big omelette will be enjoyed by more than 1000 people for a very curious lunch.
In Sweden, on Easter is trick or treat for Swedish children, like Halloween for American children. They dress-up as Easter eggs, painting their faces and they go knock on neighbors doors for treats. The Swedish also decorate their houses and eat a smorgasbord, a buffet-style meal with various and typical dishes: salmon, potatoes, eggs, sausages and something else.
In Germany, the German start their celebrations on Holy Thursday and the tradition want that you can only eat green food, like a typical seven herbs soup composed by dandelion, leek greens, spinach, sorrel, parsley and watercress. For dessert, lots of chocolate eggs – like in Italy – and a lamb-shaped cake, made with sugar.
In Finland, people believe that evil spirits go free on the Saturday before Easter. For this reason, they make bonfires and dress up like witches. On Sunday, children go searching the chocolate eggs their parents or grandparents have hidden in their houses. Here there is a white Easter: because of the frozen typical weather, outside snow still covers everything.
In Spain, and especially in the region of Andalusia, an old religious tradition wants that brotherhoods hold processions and dramatic performances carrying the Cross of Christ. People wear penitential robes and masks on their faces. They are known as “nazarenos” and walk the streets barefoot, also sometimes with chains on their feet in symbol of penance.
In Romania, the Easter lunch is important like the North-American Thanksgiving dinner and the Romanian spend it in family. The traditional Easter meal wants 4-5 courses, including a sour soup called “ciorba”, salad, pickles, roasted lamb stake, a meat pie made of lamb liver and, like dessert, lots of painted eggs.
And you: what are you going to put on your Easter Table?
Table Babel 